If you’re planning a wedding and wondering how much does a prenup cost, you’re asking one of the most practical questions I hear from engaged couples in Los Angeles. The answer depends on your financial situation, the complexity of your assets, and how quickly you and your future spouse can agree on terms. Let me walk you through what California couples actually pay—and what drives those numbers up or down.
Quick Answer: Typical Prenup Costs in Los Angeles & California
In California, and especially in Los Angeles County, most attorney-drafted prenuptial agreements range from about $3,000 to $10,000 total for both partners. This assumes you each hire your own attorney, which is strongly recommended for enforceability. Simple prenups with few assets, no business interests, and straightforward support terms typically fall in the $3,000 to $5,000 range. High-net-worth couples, business owners, or those with complex compensation structures commonly spend $8,000 to $20,000 or more.
Experienced family law attorneys in Los Angeles generally charge between $450 and $850+ per hour as of 2024. Certified Family Law Specialists and attorneys with more than a decade of complex case experience tend to bill at the higher end. Each partner pays their own lawyer, so your individual cost will be roughly half the total.
At my firm, Charles M. Green, APLC, I typically use hourly billing with clear estimates provided after reviewing your initial financial summary. Costs are driven primarily by financial complexity and how quickly both parties reach agreement on key terms.
Complexity Level | Typical California Cost Range | Common Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
Simple | $3,000–$5,000 | Modest assets, no business, minimal negotiation |
Moderate | $5,000–$10,000 | Multiple properties, some investments, moderate negotiation |
Complex / High-Net-Worth | $10,000–$25,000+ | Businesses, substantial portfolios, extensive negotiation |
What Is a Prenuptial Agreement, and Why Does Cost Vary So Much?
A prenuptial agreement is a legal contract signed before marriage that specifies how property, debts, and spousal support will be handled if the marriage ends in divorce or death. Think of it as a financial blueprint for your marriage—one that you create together while you’re getting along, rather than fighting over later in court.
In California, prenups are governed by the Uniform Premarital Agreement Act, codified in California Family Code sections 1610 through 1617. These statutes impose strict legal requirements for enforceability: full financial disclosure, voluntary execution without duress, and strong preferences for independent legal counsel. Meeting these requirements takes legal work, which affects the overall cost.
The cost of a prenup varies because no two financial pictures are alike. Several factors influence what you’ll pay: your income levels, the number and type of assets you own, whether either of you has children from a previous relationship, business interests, and how detailed you want the spousal support provisions to be. In Los Angeles specifically, higher local legal fees and the prevalence of complex financial structures—LLCs, entertainment industry income, international assets—create a wider cost range than you’d find in many other parts of the country.
Average Cost of a Prenup in California (Including Los Angeles)
Most California couples can expect to spend between $3,000 and $10,000 total on a professionally drafted, legally enforceable prenup. High-net-worth agreements often exceed $20,000, particularly when business valuations, multiple properties, or extensive support negotiations are involved.
Here’s how costs typically break down as of 2024:
- Simple California prenup: $3,000–$5,000. Both parties have modest assets, no business ownership, and can agree on basic terms relatively quickly.
- Moderate complexity: $5,000–$10,000. Couples with multiple properties, investment accounts, or some negotiation over support terms.
- High-net-worth or business owner: $10,000–$25,000+. Situations involving closely held businesses, professional practices, substantial real estate equity, or complex compensation like stock options and RSUs.
These totals usually reflect both partners’ attorney fees combined. Each person should budget for separate legal representation—California courts look very carefully at whether each party had their own attorney, especially when spousal support waivers are involved.
In Los Angeles County courts, judges scrutinize prenups carefully. I’ve seen “cheap” or DIY agreements thrown out because they failed to meet California’s procedural requirements. When that happens, the money “saved” on the front end becomes far more expensive later. If you have a family business, significant real estate equity (common in LA’s high-value market), or complex support protections, budget toward the upper end of these ranges.
Key Factors That Affect the Cost of a Prenup
The cost of a prenup depends on attorney time, financial complexity, and negotiation dynamics between you and your fiancé’s attorney. Understanding what drives costs helps you plan realistically and avoid surprises.
As both a Certified Family Law Specialist and a licensed CPA, I see costs rise most sharply when there are layered financial structures—business interests, trusts, stock options, or international assets. A tech startup founder in Santa Monica faces very different prenup costs than a couple with straightforward W-2 income and a rental duplex in Echo Park. Let me break down the main cost drivers.
Attorney Fees and Billing Structure
Attorney fees are almost always the largest component of prenup cost in California. In Los Angeles, experienced family law attorneys handling prenups typically charge $450 to $850+ per hour in 2024. Certified Family Law Specialists and attorneys with specialized financial expertise often bill at the higher end of this range.
Both partners should have their own attorney. California law doesn’t absolutely require separate attorneys, but courts heavily scrutinize agreements where one or both parties lacked separate legal representation. This means you’re looking at two sets of legal fees, not one.
Some attorneys offer flat fee packages for straightforward agreements with well-defined scopes of work. These can be cost-effective for couples with minimal assets and simple terms. However, flat fees typically apply only when the financial picture is clear and negotiation is expected to be minimal. If your situation turns out to be more complex, you may end up paying additional hourly fees beyond the flat fee.
At my firm, I provide an initial estimate after reviewing a basic financial summary. If negotiations become more extensive than expected, I communicate that promptly so you’re not caught off guard.
Complexity of Assets, Debts, and Income
The more complex your financial situation, the more work goes into drafting and negotiating a thorough, enforceable agreement. Simple cases with minimal assets move quickly. Complex cases require significantly more attorney time.
Common complexity drivers in California prenups include:
- Closely held businesses or professional practices
- Multiple rental properties or significant real estate equity
- Substantial investment portfolios
- Stock options, RSUs, or deferred compensation from tech or entertainment companies
- Intellectual property rights or royalty streams
- Significant premarital debts, including student loans
Each category creates extra drafting requirements. A family business needs valuation language and buyout provisions. Stock options require special treatment of vesting schedules and future earnings. Retirement accounts may need language addressing Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (QDROs) for potential future division.
In Los Angeles, I regularly work with clients protecting equity in a Westside condominium purchased before marriage, or preserving ownership of a professional corporation for a physician or entertainment professional. These situations require careful drafting to distinguish separate property from what might become community property during the marriage.
As a CPA-attorney, I often coordinate with outside financial advisors—CPAs, business valuation experts, estate planning attorneys—to align the prenup’s language with tax and accounting realities. This coordination can add professional costs, but it improves long-term stability and enforceability.
Negotiation Time and Number of Revisions
Even a relatively simple financial situation can become expensive if you and your partner disagree on key terms. Each round of negotiation—revising language, adjusting support provisions, revisiting how certain assets will be treated—adds billable time on both sides.
I strongly recommend that couples discuss core principles before involving lawyers. Talk about how you want to treat premarital real estate, what your expectations are for spousal support if the marriage doesn’t work out, and how you’d handle future inheritances. These conversations can significantly reduce negotiation time and lower the overall cost.
High-conflict dynamics or last-minute time pressure before a wedding also increase costs. When lawyers must work quickly through complicated changes with a wedding date looming, efficiency drops and hourly charges climb.
A realistic expectation in California: straightforward prenups typically require 2–3 drafts. Complex or high-net-worth matters may involve considerably more rounds of revision before reaching the final agreement.
Need for Business Valuations, Appraisals, or Forensic Work
If you or your partner own a business, or there’s substantial real estate or specialized assets, independent valuations or appraisals may be necessary before finalizing your prenup agreement.
Business valuations for small to mid-size California companies typically run $5,000 to $20,000 or more, depending on complexity. Real estate appraisals in Los Angeles’s high-value market add further expense. Specialized assets like fine art or classic car collections require credentialed appraisers.
Forensic accounting sometimes becomes necessary—for example, tracing separate-property contributions to a jointly titled home in Brentwood, or unraveling complex partnership income distributions. These expert costs are separate from attorney fees but are essential for grounding your prenup in realistic values, especially when the agreement includes buyout formulas or division provisions.
My CPA background helps clients decide when a full valuation is cost-effective versus when a reasonable estimated range is sufficient. Not every situation requires hiring a valuation expert—but when it does, the investment protects you from costly disputes later.
Location and Attorney Experience Level
Prenups generally cost more in large metropolitan areas like Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, and San Francisco due to higher hourly rates and higher asset values. A prenup in rural Northern California typically costs less than one in West LA, both because hourly rates are lower and because the financial matters involved tend to be simpler.
Lawyers with specialized credentials—California Certified Family Law Specialists or those with dual financial credentials like CPA or LLM in Taxation—tend to charge more. However, for substantial assets or business interests, investing in specialized counsel usually pays off by reducing the risk of a later court challenge that could invalidate the agreement.
With 27+ years in Los Angeles family courts, I’ve seen firsthand what judges look for when prenups are challenged. That experience informs how I draft agreements—realistic, detailed, and structured to withstand scrutiny if they’re ever tested.
How Much Do High-Net-Worth and Business-Owner Prenups Cost?
If you have significant assets, businesses, or complex compensation structures, your prenup cost probably won’t fit the “basic” range. High-net-worth and business-owner prenups require substantially more work to create agreements that will hold up in court.
Most high-net-worth prenups in California and Los Angeles fall between $10,000 and $30,000+, especially when there are multiple properties, business entities, and children from previous relationships. I’ve handled matters where the prenup process exceeded these figures due to the complexity of the financial interests involved.
Common scenarios I see in my practice include:
- One partner owns a medical practice, law firm, or dental practice
- A spouse has founded or holds significant equity in a tech startup
- One or both partners hold film-production LLCs or entertainment residuals
- Substantial retirement accounts from long careers before the marriage
- Family trust interests or anticipated inheritances
These matters typically require more detailed asset schedules and disclosure documents, coordination with estate-planning attorneys and tax advisers, and custom language addressing future growth, liquidity events, and property division formulas.
In high-net-worth cases, the prenup functions as a tailored financial blueprint for the marriage and any potential divorce. The higher upfront cost reflects the complexity of creating an agreement that protects valuable assets while remaining fair and enforceable under California law.
My dual role as CFLS and CPA helps structure terms that satisfy both legal enforceability requirements and tax-efficient asset protection strategies. When retirement accounts, business interests, and investment portfolios are all in play, getting the financial details right matters as much as the legal language.
Are Online Prenup Templates and Low-Cost Services Worth It?
Online prenup services and templates in the $200 to $1,000 range can look attractive, especially for couples trying to save money. However, these options often fail to meet strict legal requirements that California imposes for enforceability.
California law requires specific procedural safeguards for a premarital agreement to be enforced: full disclosure of assets and debts, at least seven days between being presented the final agreement and signing it, and strong preferences for independent legal counsel—especially when spousal support waivers are involved. Many online templates and services don’t adequately address these requirements or don’t customize documents for California law.
In Los Angeles County courts, I’ve reviewed DIY prenups that failed because:
- Neither party had separate attorneys review the agreement
- The agreement was signed just days before the wedding, violating the 7-day rule
- Asset schedules were incomplete, preventing full disclosure
- Spousal support waiver language was vague or procedurally defective
When these agreements are challenged in divorce, judges often set them aside—partially or entirely. The couple then faces expensive litigation to resolve the very issues the prenup was supposed to address. Any initial savings evaporate quickly.
If you use an online service, each partner should still have a California family law attorney review and revise the agreement. By the time you add those review costs to the service fee, you may spend nearly as much as drafting it correctly from the start—with less certainty about enforceability.
For clients with meaningful assets, a family business, or children, online templates are almost never cost-effective once you factor in enforceability risk. The upfront cost savings can easily become a costly mistake.
How to Keep California Prenup Costs Manageable
While prenups aren’t cheap, there are practical steps you can take to control expenses without sacrificing legal quality or enforceability.
Start the prenup conversation at least 3–6 months before your wedding. Rushed timelines create pressure that can undermine validity under California law and force attorneys to work inefficiently, increasing your bill. Early planning gives everyone time to gather documents, draft carefully, and negotiate without the stress of an approaching wedding date.
Prepare organized financial disclosures before your first attorney meeting. Gather your recent tax returns, bank and investment statements, real estate documents, business ownership records, and a list of all debts. When your attorney doesn’t have to chase down information, you save hours of billable time.
Discuss major principles with your partner before meeting with lawyers. If you can agree on how to treat premarital property, what your expectations are for spousal support, and how you’ll handle potential inheritances, you’ll reduce the back-and-forth between attorneys that drives costs up.
Choose attorneys who are transparent about billing and can provide a reasonable budget estimate at the outset. Ask how they’ll communicate if the scope changes or negotiations take longer than expected.
Checklist to reduce prenup costs:
- Gather all financial documents (tax returns, statements, deeds, business records) before consultations
- Write down your goals and priorities for the agreement
- Have an honest conversation with your partner about key terms
- Schedule consultations and start drafting at least 3–6 months before the wedding
- Avoid signing in a rush—respect the 7-day waiting period
Is a Prenup Worth the Cost in California?
Comparing typical prenup costs—$3,000 to $10,000 or more—against the expenses of a contested California divorce without one puts the investment in perspective. Litigating property division, business valuation disputes, and spousal support issues in Los Angeles County can easily cost tens of thousands of dollars, not to mention the emotional toll.
Without a prenup, California’s community property rules apply by default. The state is a community property state, which means assets acquired and income earned during marriage are generally divided 50/50 in divorce. This may not reflect what you and your spouse actually want, especially for premarital property, inheritances, or a business you built before the marriage.
A well-crafted prenup can:
- Protect premarital homes, businesses, and separate property
- Clarify responsibility for both premarital and marital debts
- Provide predictable spousal support outcomes rather than leaving them to a judge’s interpretation
- Reduce litigation time and legal fees if the marriage ends
I’ve seen cases where a strong prenup saved clients significant sums in later divorce proceedings. One client avoided a prolonged fight over a West Hollywood rental property because the prenup clearly characterized it as separate property. Another protected ownership of a dental practice that would otherwise have been subject to complex—and expensive—valuation disputes.
For Los Angeles professionals, business owners, or those entering a second marriage, the upfront investment in a solid prenup is modest compared to the value of clarity and reduced risk. “Worth” is partly financial and partly emotional—prenups can reduce anxiety by setting clear expectations before marriage, allowing both partners to enter the relationship with confidence about their financial rights.
Legal Requirements for an Enforceable California Prenup
Understanding California’s legal requirements helps explain why careful attorney work is necessary—and why costs aren’t just about filling in forms. An agreement that doesn’t meet these requirements can be partially or wholly unenforceable, wasting your investment.
Under California Family Code sections 1610–1617 and related case law, a prenup must meet several conditions:
- Voluntary signing: Both parties must execute the agreement voluntarily, without fraud, duress, or undue influence
- Full disclosure: Each party must provide complete, accurate disclosure of assets and debts
- 7-day waiting period: The party being asked to sign must have at least seven days between receiving the final agreement and signing it
- Independent counsel: While not absolutely required, courts strongly favor agreements where each party had professional legal advice—and require it for enforceable spousal support waivers
- No unconscionability: The agreement cannot be unconscionable (extremely unfair) at the time it’s enforced
If these conditions aren’t satisfied, a judge in Los Angeles Superior Court may refuse to enforce part or all of the prenup. I’ve seen cases where otherwise reasonable agreements were invalidated because of technical failures—signing too close to the wedding, incomplete asset schedules, or one party’s claim that they didn’t understand the terms.
Additional complexities arise when one party’s first language isn’t English, or when there are international assets requiring special treatment. These situations may require certified translations and careful documentation to ensure both parties understood what they signed.
At my firm, we routinely ensure all procedural safeguards are followed: proper timing, complete disclosures, appropriate acknowledgments, and thorough explanations. Enforceability is the real goal—not just having a signed document.
Key statutory requirements:
- Voluntary execution by both parties
- Full and fair disclosure of all assets and debts
- 7-day minimum waiting period before signing
- Independent legal counsel strongly preferred (required for support waivers)
- Agreement must not be unconscionable at enforcement
What Happens If You Don’t Have a Prenup in California?
Without a prenup, California’s default rules for property division and spousal support apply in divorce. These rules may not match what you and your spouse would have chosen.
California treats assets acquired during marriage—and income earned during marriage—as community property. This means the court will generally divide assets equally between spouses, regardless of whose name is on the title or whose paycheck funded the account. If you earn significantly more than your spouse, or if you owned a home before marriage that appreciated during the marriage, these rules can produce outcomes you didn’t anticipate.
Debts incurred during marriage are usually community obligations, too. Credit card balances, car loans, or business debts may be split between spouses, even if only one person incurred them.
Perhaps most significantly for business owners: a business started during marriage, or one that grew substantially during marriage, may be partially community property. This opens the door to expensive valuation disputes and potentially losing a portion of your business to your spouse—or having to buy them out under unfavorable terms.
Consider a Los Angeles entertainment professional who enters marriage without a prenup. If the marriage ends, their residual income and any production company they built during the marriage could be subject to division. Litigating these issues in Los Angeles County courts can easily cost far more—both financially and emotionally—than a carefully drafted prenuptial agreement would have cost upfront.
How My Los Angeles Firm Approaches Prenup Pricing and Planning
As Charles M. Green, Esq., CPA, I combine more than 27 years of Los Angeles family law experience with a CPA background. This dual expertise gives clients both legal and financial clarity throughout the prenup process.
Here’s how I typically structure prenup representation:
- Initial confidential consultation: We discuss your goals, concerns, and financial picture so I understand what you’re trying to protect
- Preliminary financial review: I request basic financial documents to assess complexity and identify potential issues
- Fee estimate: Based on the complexity of your situation, anticipated negotiation, and any need for outside experts, I provide a realistic cost estimate
- Ongoing communication: Throughout the drafting process, I keep you informed about time spent and any scope changes that might affect the final cost
While specific dollar quotes are provided directly to clients after reviewing their circumstances, my philosophy is to front-load careful analysis. This approach minimizes surprises during drafting and reduces litigation risks later.
My practice regularly handles matters involving businesses, professional practices, multiple properties, stock options, and complex support issues. When necessary, I coordinate with outside CPAs and estate-planning counsel to ensure the prenup aligns with your overall financial and estate planning goals.
The firm is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 700, in Los Angeles. We’re open Monday through Friday, and Spanish-speaking staff are available for clients who prefer to communicate in Spanish.
Planning Your Next Step: Confidential Prenup Consultation
If you’re considering marriage in California—especially in Los Angeles County—a confidential consultation can clarify whether a prenup makes sense for your situation. We can discuss your assets, goals, and concerns, and provide a more precise cost estimate based on your actual financial picture.
Reach out well before your wedding date. Ideally, start the process several months in advance. This keeps both the prenup process and the cost manageable, and ensures you meet California’s procedural requirements without pressure.
Whether you need to create an agreement from scratch, review an existing draft your fiancé’s attorney prepared, or want professional legal advice about protecting your own prenup interests, my firm can help.
Contact Charles M. Green, APLC at our Los Angeles office (3699 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 700) by phone or email to schedule your consultation. All consultations are confidential and available in English and Spanish.
Investing in a properly drafted California prenup is ultimately about clarity, fairness, and protecting both partners’ futures. It’s not about expecting your marriage to fail—it’s about entering your marriage with your financial interests clearly defined and your best interests protected.
